Belazu Ingredient Company has announced the retail launch of its Ve-Du-Ya ‘nduja paste alternative.

The vegan offering was initially created in collaboration with pizzeria chain Pizza Pilgrims and has since been introduced in Honest Burger.

The paste aims to emulate the taste, texture and melting qualities of traditional ‘nduja and is made by fermenting the same Calabrian chillies used in the classic recipe.

Ve-Du-Ya is free from xanthan gum, palm oil and gelling agents, and can be used as a pizza topping, in sandwiches and ragùs, and to coat oven-roasted vegetables.

Peter Oden, commercial director at Belazu, said: “As a vegetarian myself, I am still amazed by the limited availability of international flavours on offer. As such I am passionate about expanding our vegan portfolio and offering our customers the chance to enjoy vegan flavours from around the world.

“‘Nduja has been growing in popularity in recent years and in line with more people opting for plant-based diets, we wanted to give consumers who don’t eat meat the opportunity to try the increasingly trendy paste in their recipes. The partnership with Pizza Pilgrims gave us just that opportunity and I am delighted with the results of our new Ve-Du-Ya.”

The paste is available from Booths, Planet Organic, through the Belazu website and Ocado, and is arriving in Waitrose this month.

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